Harmony Sofia - Sofia, Bulgaria     

The hotel advertises itself as a "step" away from the centre of Sofia. If you count a 30 minute walk past some pretty dodgy areas (prostitutes' pick up zone) as a "step", that description is accurate. You might also be expecting from the description access to a pool and other facilities. Yes, they are right next door (and viewable out of my window) - but barred off and definitely not part of the package. The rooms are adequate, although nothing special - (my shower only ran hot in the evening - very bracing in the morning - and the TV did not work). There is no bar and the breakfast is uninspiring and late. I was told at 08.00 on a weekday that I was"too early". However, it is fairly quiet. In the hotel pack, some trips outside Sofia are advertised. Don't bother. Three separate requests were met by shrugs, "don't know" etc. However, my worst expereince was with the security guards that "guard" the hotel. Generally, they are OK, but one shouted at me for having the temerity of entering the hotel (after all, I was only a paying guest) and the lack of grace not to apologise. I am sure you could find a better place to stay.

Harmony Hotel Sofia is a good enough hotel that suffers as a result of its totally clueless and unhelpful staff. On the good side, the hotel is clean and located perfectly if you're interested in using the Spartak Sports Centre. My room was well taken care of and my shower worked very well. Contrary to what the previous reviewer stated, the location of the hotel is accurately described on the website. It is 800m from the Palace of Culture. I did the walk from the centre to the hotel 3 times and never felt the least bit unsafe. The walk took about 30 minutes. On the bad side, the hotel's reception staff is absolutely pathetic. They knew nothing and did nothing, including speaking English (except for 1 woman), if this is a concern. The restaurant staff was only slightly better, but very slow and unfriendly. The internet connection was broken while I was there, so the hotel offered the use of the computer in their office, which was extremely slow. Breakfast was not very good at all and we had to debate for a while with the staff about whether we were meant to pay for it despite being told on the phone that it would be included in our rate. Overall, the hotel isn't that bad if you're just going to use it for sleeping. The website makes the hotel look a bit more luxurious than it is, so this should be remembered.